Enhancing the dissolution of insoluble active ingredients comprises one of the most important issues in the pharmaceutical and biomaterial fields. Here, a third generation solid dispersion (3rd SD) of ferulic acid was designed and fabricated by a modified coaxial electrospinning process. A traditional second generation SD (2nd SD) was also prepared by common one-fluid blending electrospinning and was used as a control. With poly(vinyl alcohol) as the fiber matrix and polyvinylpyrrolidone K10 as an additive in the 3rd SDs, the two electrospinning processes were investigated. The prepared 2nd and 3rd SDs were subjected to a series of characterizations, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), hydrophilicity and in vitro drug dissolving experiments. The results demonstrate that both SDs were monolithic nanocomposites and that the drugs were amorphously distributed within the matrix. However, the 3rd SDs had better morphology with smaller size, narrower size distribution, and smaller water contact angles than the 2nd SDs. Dissolution tests verified that the 3rd SDs could release their loaded cargoes within 60 s, which was over three times faster than the 2nd SDs. Therefore, a combined strategy based on the modified coaxial electrospinning and the logical selections of drug carriers is demonstrated for creating advanced biomaterials.
Keywords: amorphous composite; coaxial electrospinning; fast dissolution; insoluble drug; solid dispersion.